The current chieftain of the Fusang Tribe wore a grim expression.
Although he had anticipated this very situation when he decided to bring out Li Changâan, seeing it actually unfold on the battlefield still left a heavy feeling in his chest.
He watched as his tribesmen carried their Guardian God up the mountain.
Cang Shan, the current chieftain of the Fusang Tribe, forcibly composed himself. He walked up to Li Changâan, bowed respectfully, and laid out his pre-conceived plan. "Lord Guardian God, we did not bring you here today to fight. Rather, we wish to ask you to preserve the last embers of our Fusang Tribe, to protect our final sliver of hope from being extinguished..."
He had taken the initiative to bring Li Changâan to the battlefield, but he didnât hold high hopes for him.
After all, their own Guardian God hadnât even completed its Transformed Form. Its stone body likely needed others just to move. Under these circumstances, it was clearly impossible to expect their Guardian God to withstand the enemyâs attack.
One wrong move could even lead to the entire tribe being wiped out.
Cang Shan was no fool; of course he wouldnât put all his eggs in one basket.
In truth, he had never expected the Fusang Tribe to win from the very beginning.
Everything they were doing now was just to set up a better escape.
Thinking of this, Cang Shan glanced at the attendant behind him.
The attendant understood immediately and brought over twenty-some able-bodied young men and a dozen or so children, some five or six, others seven or eight years old, who had been prepared beforehand.
Cang Shanâs sharp gaze swept over the children one by one.
He said nothing, because everything that needed to be said had already been said.
Then, he turned his gaze to his daughter, the current Divine Envoy, and instructed, "Banyue, from now on, you must not only serve the Guardian God, but also bear the heavy responsibility of carrying on our tribeâs lineage. Do you understand?"
Banyue pressed her lips together but didnât speak.
Seeing her silence, Cang Shanâs expression remained stern. He said gravely, "Relay my words to the Guardian God. The warriors have already cleared a path down the mountain. Following it will allow you to escape to the Nine-Tower Mountain Tribe. No matter how bold those bastards are, they wonât dare trespass into the territory of a large tribe!"
"Weâll cover the retreat. We should be able to hold them off for a few days!"
"Once you reach Nine-Tower Mountain, you must change your names and abandon the title of the Fusang Tribe completely. Otherwise, you may never know a day of peace!"
At this point, Cang Shan still felt uneasy.
He spoke again, adding another instruction, "Remember, no matter what the Guardian God asks for, as long as itâs within the Fusang Tribeâs power to provide, you can agree to it. The continuation of the tribe is the absolute priority..."
Banyue still just pressed her lips together and said nothing.
Seeing her attitude, Cang Shanâs brows twitched. He was about to scold her when an unfamiliar voice suddenly interrupted, "Thereâs no need for her to relay anything. I can hear you."
Hearing this sudden voice,
Cang Shan froze. He glanced left and right, saw that no one around him had spoken, and finally turned his gaze to Li Changâan, who was not far in front of him. He dropped to his knees, his body trembling slightly. "Lord Guardian God, your subject did not mean to offend. I beg you to forgive my impertinence..."
Li Changâan said lightly, "Didnât you bring me here to fight for you? Why the sudden change of heart?"
âWhy the change of heart?â
âI canât just say itâs because I think Li Changâan is a weakling, can I?â
Sweat beaded on Cang Shanâs face, but he could only bite the bullet and say, "Itâs because... itâs because... Itâs because your subject feels the enemy has ill intentions. It might be dangerous for you, my Lord, to fight, so... so I could only resort to this... this inferior plan!"
He stammered for a good while before finally managing to come up with a relatively diplomatic explanation.
In reality, it was because he had carefully weighed the strength of both sides and concluded that the current Fusang Tribe could not possibly defeat the enemyâs allied forces.
Not to mention the enormous disparity between their Guardian Gods.
Li Changâan wasnât a fool. He naturally understood the meaning behind the manâs words. With a hint of displeasure in his tone, he said, "Iâm just immobile, not actually dead..."
"All of you just stand here and donât move. Donât worry. As for that trash at the foot of the mountain, no matter how many of them come, they wonât even be enough to get stuck in my teeth!"
Hearing this, the soldiers, who had been dejected, couldnât help but widen their eyes, their gazes now fixed ardently on Li Changâan.
Although they had all prepared to cover the retreat for the tribe.
But if they had a choice, who would willingly sacrifice themselves for others?
Now that Li Changâan said he could protect them all, their hearts, which had been all but dead, suddenly began to burn with heat again.
Cang Shan was clearly skeptical about the truth of Li Changâanâs words.
But he didnât dare to voice his doubts to his face.
Down the mountain, the allied forces that had halted their advance were charging up again. The Lanji Tribeâs Guardian God, the giant blue carp, was leading the charge.
At this point, even if they wanted to flee, they couldnât get away.
They had to repel another wave of the enemyâs assault to have a chance to escape in the chaos.
Cang Shan stopped hesitating and turned to prepare for battle.
...
Looking at Li Changâan, whose body was covered in crystalline scales,
the blue carp couldnât help but laugh heartily. "Your Guardian God may not have its Transformed Form yet, but its Spirituality seems quite good! Swallowing it will be just what I need to reach the next level!"
With that, it shot forward, leading the charge directly into the Fusang Tribeâs position.
It moved so fast that the surrounding Fusang Tribe soldiers trying to block its approach couldnât even touch its shadow. They could only watch helplessly as it drew closer and closer to Li Changâan, the chieftain, and the others.